Sanitizing the national body: COVID-19 and the revival of Japan’s “Closed Country” strategy

Japan’s handling of border control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic has become known as sakoku-approach. Sakoku literally means “closed country” and generally refers to a historic period when Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1868) kept borders shut because international contacts were feared cause public upheaval political instability. While these times have long passed, contemporary Japan, too, is for its tight management immigration avenues. In light pandemic, most avenues cut off, despite much criticism, remained largely inaccessible two years now. this paper, we build on concepts from authoritarian populism performance crisis analyze how why Japan revived isolationist strategy. We decipher discursive framings that Prime Minister Abe applied illustrate disruptive influence open would health, social stability by extension, national body itself. argue onset on, ethnic others portrayed risk mainly intertwined reasons: Firstly, relies self-constraint rather than rules sanctions, others’ compliance was not fully trusted. Secondly, exclusionary strategy fed into populist discourses presumed result in favorable support rates administration.